KR20090095773A - Location tracking system - Google Patents

Abstract

A position tracking system is provided to process position information of a moving device by periodically transmitting data generated in an inner part or data generated from an external device to a position measurement server. A moving device(100) includes a position information receiving part(110), a frequency transceiving device(120), an additional data transceiving part(130), and a power part(140). The position information receiving part collects GPS position information. The frequency transceiving device transmits/receives a low frequency like radio frequency and a wireless LAN high frequency like IEEE 802.11. The additional data transceiving part communicates with an information collection device about an external environment like position data, temperature, and humidity. The power part is semi-permanently used.

Description

Location tracking system {Location tracking system}

The present invention collects the primary location information of a mobile device such as a mobile robot that changes its position in real time, such as indoors by a GPS or other sensor using a satellite, using a conventional WLAN AP network or Secondary location data is collected by using LBS (Location Based Service) used in mobile communication network, and each collected location data is corrected and displayed next to get accuracy of location information. The present invention relates to a source distance integrated wireless positioning system capable of continuously transmitting and receiving position DATA and a method thereof.

Recently, with the development of mobile communication technology, a positioning technology for identifying a user's location and providing a new service has been developed. In general, a service area using location information is called a location based service (LBS), which is a field of telematics, and includes a vehicle location tracking or navigation technology.

 Conventional methods for obtaining location information include conventional methods using only GPS (Global Positioning System), methods using only mobile communication terminals, methods combining GPS and inertial navigation system (INS), combining GPS and mobile communication terminals. Method, combined with GPS / mobile communication terminal / INS is mainly developed.

 Traditional methods using GPS may not be possible due to the disconnection of GPS signals in GPS shaded areas (e.g., building forests, high trees, tunnels, indoors, etc.). Far problems, audible (Hearability), multipath (Multipath), poor degree of accuracy (DOP: Dilution of Precision), the repeater problem (Repeater problem) due to the problem that the accuracy and reliability are poor.

 On the other hand, the GPS / INS combining method, which is widely used as a vehicle navigation system, has a problem that a position error occurs when the GPS signal is not received for a long time due to the problem of disconnection of the GPS signal and the accumulated error of the INS. Due to the characteristics of the mobile communication terminal, only a short time of location information can be serviced. Also, when the GPS signal is disconnected, positioning is performed only by the mobile communication terminal.

 Recently, researches on positioning methods using radio frequency identification (RFID), wireless LAN, and ultra wide band (UWB) technologies have been actively conducted.

 As described above, the conventional techniques are greatly influenced by the disconnection of the GPS signal, and the positioning technique using the mobile communication network is also greatly influenced by the layout of the base station network and the propagation environment.

The present invention has been made to correct the error point of the conventional incomplete satellite positioning system (GPS) and to add three-dimensional information, the data of the location of the mobile device, and additional data such as sensors added to the mobile device It is an object of the present invention to provide a system that can use additional data calculated by the generation unit. According to the present invention, a commercial WLAN AP can be used as it is without any change for data communication as well as position measurement using a mobile device. In addition, in order to perform a location tracking function in addition to wireless data communication, the existing installed WLAN AP may be replaced with a WLAN AP including a location tracking function.

 Another object of the present invention is to provide a mobile device which is used in a position measuring system for measuring a position that changes in near real time in real time to provide a position DATA and additional DATA. To this end, the mobile device must be equipped with a sensor to generate data on its own, or exchange data with an external device through an external device interface such as a measuring instrument. The additional data thus obtained is transferred to the location measurement server through the WLAN communication with the location DATA.

 The location measurement server which finally receives the location data and additional data generated from the mobile device and calculates the location information from the location data stores, processes and manages the location data and additional data in a systematic manner and can be used by user applications. You must provide an environment that is At the same time, it should be possible to control or transmit specific information to the mobile device or external device used to access the mobile device according to the needs of the user application program. To this end, a method of storing, processing, and interworking location information and additional data in the positioning server, and an application program interface (API) for providing such location information and additional data to a user application program should be defined.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of a short-range positioning system and method capable of transmitting and receiving DATA according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a mobile device 100 capable of transmitting and receiving DATA according to an embodiment of the present invention. The location measuring apparatus capable of transmitting and receiving DATA according to the present invention basically includes a location information receiver 110 for collecting GPS location information, a low frequency such as RF (Radio Frequency), and a low frequency that transmits and receives a high frequency wireless LAN such as IEEE 802.11. High-frequency transmission / reception unit 120 and near-field data transmission / reception unit 130 that communicates with external environment information collection devices such as position data, temperature and humidity from the outside, and once installed or packaged, can be used semi-permanently. It is composed of a power supply 140.

FIG. 2 configures a communication network for transmitting DATA of the mobile device 100 shown in FIG. 1 based on an existing WLAN access point (AP). The access point 200 is a location information storage unit 210 that stores the AP's own 3D location information, the low-frequency band of 100MHz to 300MHz, such as RF, and the high-band of 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz, such as IEEE 802.11. A low / high frequency transceiver having a unique wireless LAN AP function by transmitting and receiving a frequency to transmit location data and additional data from a mobile device or a control signal for a mobile device and an additional device attached to the mobile device. 220) and a wired / wireless communication unit 230 for quickly transferring data to a server by connecting to the Internet network through wired or wireless.

3 is a location information management server that compares primary collection information, secondary collection information, and additional surrounding environment data according to the detailed flow chart of FIG. The service interworking unit 320 provides information to the user in various forms including the W application algorithm, and the communication interworking unit that selects the form of SMS, wireless LAN, TV, video, etc. and provides the customer with interworking with mobile communication and the Internet ( 330).

4 illustrates one mobile device 100 and four or more WLAN APs and RF readers 200 that are to be measured. 3D position coordinates (X, y, z, t) of a plurality of APs of a plurality of APs at a specific measurement time point t for calculating position coordinates of the mobile device by trigonometric method in real time. It is a schematic for calculating Y, Z, t). Deterioration of the existing primary location information element can also be used to collect and supplement the secondary location information.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an integrated positioning method through position error correction and sensor error correction according to additional data according to the present invention, and illustrates a positioning algorithm performed when a customer requests a position measurement of a mobile device.

The mobile device 100

A means for generating the primary position DATA is included. The location information receiver 110 of FIG. 1 receives information for knowing the current location of the mobile device from at least four satellites floating in space, and calculates the location, speed, acceleration, direction angle, altitude, etc. of the mobile device. , Get the three-dimensional position DATA. In addition, the location information receiver 110 generates its own three-dimensional location data by using other sensors or external location information to generate approximately primary location information of the mobile device.

Next, the AP is formed using a low / high frequency transmission / reception unit 120 capable of transmitting / receiving data using a low frequency such as an RF signal and a network network formed by the AP, and a high frequency such as an IEEE 802.11 signal. It connects to one network and generates 3D secondary location information of mobile device.

The next additional DATA transmitting / receiving unit 130 can artificially inject the location information from the outside even when all of the primary and secondary location information cannot be collected, so that the position measurement is not interrupted in any case.

Next, the first and second location information are transmitted to the location information correction unit 310 of the location information management server 300 through the low / high frequency transmission / reception unit 120 and the AP through the Internet.

The additional data generated from the mobile device or an external device connected to the mobile device, depending on the setting, manages the location information together with the location data and time information whenever the additional data occurs, whenever the additional data is transmitted, or at regular intervals. The server 300 is transmitted and stored.

Next, the AP 200 for the WLAN to be used in the present invention

When the AP 200 having at least three pieces of magnetic position information periodically broadcasts a low / high frequency signal, the low / high frequency transmitter / receiver 120 of the mobile device 100 receives the signal and It extracts location information and values corresponding to signal strength or arrival time to form a low / high frequency network network that generates secondary location information of the mobile device in conjunction with signals sent by the low / high frequency transmitter / receiver 220.

Alternatively, the AP 200 for a wireless LAN having three or more magnetic location information periodically broadcasts signals of high frequency (2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz) such as IEEE 802.11, and transmits low / high frequency of the mobile device 100. The receiver 120 transmits a signal to extract the location information and the value corresponding to the signal strength or arrival time, and generates high-frequency position information of the mobile device in conjunction with the signals transmitted from the data transmitter 120. Form a network.

Next, when the RF network composed of APs having at least four or more of their own location information periodically broadcasts a low frequency (100-300 MHz) signal, the DATA transmitter / receiver 120 of the wireless mobile device 100 ) Receives a low frequency signal, extracts the location information of the AP and a value corresponding to the signal strength or arrival time, and generates a second location information of the mobile device in conjunction with the signals sent from the DATA transmitter 120. Form.

The location DATA and the additional data carried in the WLAN signal transmitted from the mobile device are sent to the location measurement server via the WLAN AP 200. Here, the data area format and protocol of the Ethernet frame used by the mobile device and the location measurement server to transmit the location DATA and the additional data may be implemented in various known manners.

In order to calculate the location information by the AP network, three or more WLAN APs, which are received and calculated at about the same time, are converted into a distance d using the Friis formula. The location of the mobile device can be classified by time by displaying the time value of receiving the signal as t value along with (x, y, z), the coordinate value of the location where each WLAN AP is installed. Set it to That is, if the coordinate values (x, y, z, t) of three or more APs at time t and the distances d between each AP and the mobile device are used, the coordinates (X, Y, Z, t) can be obtained.

Next, the location information management server 300,

The position information is corrected by processing the first and second position data using the position data transmitted from the mobile device to calculate the error value of the two information, and setting the priority degree according to the received signal strength or accuracy of the signal. Position information correction unit 310,

The additional data transmitted with the location data is stored, processed, managed and corrected in a separate space, and an API is provided so that the user application program can use the location information and the additional data.

The API module provides information stored in the location information storage unit and the additional data storage unit to the user application program at the request of the user application program, or provides information to be stored in the additional data storage unit from the user application program at the request of the user application program. Provide receiving communication method. The user application program uses the location information of the mobile device and the additional data transmitted by the mobile device by using MAC information of the mobile device and time information of the additional data.

The user application program may be configured in various ways according to the purpose of use, and regardless of the configuration method and application field, it should be possible to exchange location information and additional data of the wireless mobile device through the API provided by the location measurement server of the present invention. do. In addition, it may include a function of controlling the mobile devices that satisfy a given condition, such as ID of the mobile device or mobile devices existing in a specific region, or transmitting DATA to the mobile device that satisfies the above conditions. .

As such, the location information and the additional data are provided to the user application through an API provided by the location measurement server, and variously used by the user application program. In addition, the user application program provides data for changing or controlling the setting of the wireless mobile device to the positioning server through the API.

The service is started as a user of the location tracking service provided by the present invention requests location information by accessing the location tracking server 300 through a wired / wireless internet network, and the process of the detailed flowchart described in FIG. Looking at it as follows.

First, as an example, a service user accesses a web server of a wireless internet network or a wired internet network using a mobile phone, inputs a designated ID of a terminal to be tracked through a unique ID, a password, and goes through an authentication system. Thereafter, the terminal requests a location information management server to provide location information of the terminal. The location information management server receives the request and provides the number of the terminal to request the location information. Then, the position information correction unit of the position information management server 300 receives secondary position information and additional data from the mobile device 100 such as a mobile robot to the primary position information and communication network, and corrects and supplements it, thereby correcting the position information more accurately. Calculate and provide it to the web server. Then, the web server displays the location information of the terminal provided from the location information management server in the form of the current location on the text and map. Accordingly, the service user may encounter terminal location information provided in various forms of content according to his or her request.

In addition, according to the present invention, when the power unit 140 of the device converts a predetermined electric signal into a microwave signal and transmits the same, the receiver receives the microwave signal and converts the microwave signal into a constant electric signal to wirelessly connect the charger and the mobile device. By adopting a power supply to make a charge, there is no need to recharge or replace the battery to prevent the case that the power of the mobile device is exhausted when the present invention is practically applied to miss the position of the mobile device.

The mobile device of the present invention periodically receives the data generated by itself or data generated by an external device, ie, additional data, through the external interface to periodically track the location of a stolen vehicle, a lost child, or a mobile robot. By transmitting, it can be processed together with the location information of the mobile device. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to various types of telematics devices, ubiquitous sensor network devices, and further accurate positioning of mobile robots. In particular, since mobile robots are expected to perform human tasks throughout their lives, providing accurate positioning information will be indispensable for owners and will attract a large user base.

 In addition, by controlling the process of generating, processing, and transmitting additional data, the generation of wireless DATA traffic is minimized, and the location measurement server performs processing, calculation, and correction of location DATA, thereby reducing battery consumption of the wireless mobile device. It can reduce the service life of the wireless mobile device.

 In addition, the position of the device can be expressed and tracked in three dimensions through the GPS and the altitude measuring device included therein, and the three-dimensional position information is obtained by positioning through the AP network and the RFID network. By sending the integrated server to the integrated supplementary modification to send to other people to notify their location, even if the GPS signal can not be received, the continuous positioning is possible, it is effective to inform their location more accurately.

As described above, although the present invention has been described by the limited embodiments and the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains various modifications and variations from these descriptions. This is possible. Accordingly, the spirit of the invention should be understood only by the claims set forth below, and all equivalent or equivalent modifications will fall within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the system according to the present invention can be embodied as computer readable codes on a computer readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include all types of recording devices that store data that can be read by a computer system.

1 is an exemplary configuration of a mobile device to which the position measuring system of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary configuration diagram of an AP providing secondary information of the mobile device shown in FIG.

3 is an exemplary diagram of a comprehensive server that collects, corrects, and provides a primary position tracking result and a secondary position tracking result.

Figure 4 is an exemplary view showing the basic configuration of a short-range wireless positioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention

5 is a detailed flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a location information service method according to the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

100: mover configuration

110: location information receiving unit

120: low / high frequency transmitter / receiver

130: additional data transmitting / receiving unit

140: power supply

200: Access Point (AP)

210: location information storage unit

220: low / high frequency transmitter / receiver

230: wired / wireless communication unit

300: location information management server

310: location information correction unit

320: service provider

330: communication linkage

Claims (5)

The transfer device, Location information receiving unit for receiving or calculating the location information using GPS or sensors to know their current location, It includes a low frequency transceiver such as RF and a wireless LAN high frequency transceiver such as IEEE 802.11 a, b, g, etc., and transmits position data and additional data to the location information management server, and transmits the location data and additional data to the sensor attached to the mobile device from the location information management server. A low / high frequency transmitting / receiving unit communicating with the low / high frequency transmitting / receiving unit of the AP to receive a control signal, etc .; Short distance additional data transmission / receiving information of the external environment such as temperature and humidity by receiving location DATA from the outside or communicating with a sensor installed in the mobile device or sending control signals received from the location information management server to a sensor mounted on the mobile device. Receiving unit, It consists of a power unit consisting of a semi-permanent power supply such as solar cells and a wireless power supply for long time use. The method according to claim 1 Wireless LAN high frequency transmission and reception, AP responsible for transmitting location data to the server Based on the AP used for the existing WLAN connection, Location information storage unit for recognizing or storing the 3D location information of the AP itself, Low and high frequency transmitter and receiver (DATA transmitter and receiver) which can transmit and receive low frequency band and high frequency band and communicate with DATA transmitter and receiver of mobile device, It is composed of wired / wireless communication unit that can transmit data to location information management server by connecting to internet network. Location Information Management Server Position information between each data by receiving the primary location information of the wireless mobile device through the sensors such as GPS, secondary location information received from the AP, and additional data such as other location data, temperature, humidity, and external environment data from the outside A position information correction unit for correcting and compensating for an error and measuring a current position of a perfect mobile device; Communication interworking to provide the location information processed by the location information correction unit to the consumer in connection with mobile communication and the Internet in order to use Short Message Service Short Message Service (SMS), web content, TV, image information, etc. Wealth, Provides the location information and additional data to a predetermined user application program, and functions as an interface with the user application program to receive the information stored in the location information correction unit at the request of the user application program, and provides an authentication system for user selection. Consists of application program interface (API) modules DATA Wired / Wireless Server The battery unit of the wireless mobile device, It is to supply power for driving wireless DATA module and control unit for transmitting and receiving DATA between positioning device and AP or RF reader. Semi-permanent energy conversion means for generating electrical energy through the energy conversion process using a solar cell, vibration sensor, pressure sensor, and the like, A storage battery for storing generated electrical energy; Wireless charging device that can store the electrical energy in the battery wirelessly from the outside, I use it. A unique ID or identification number is assigned to each mobile device and AP to limit the degree of location DATA and additional data disclosure for each ID or identification number. However, it also provides a system that external users can use in an emergency.

Images